The Author on the Gemini Wreck!

This shot was taken by my buddy Carol while we were on the wreck of the Gemini off Mindarie on
31st  December 2012. The conditions were ideal!!!!!

Circular Stingaree

The Circular Stingaree is fairly rare in the Waters off Perth and I was lucky to find this one, my first, amongst the rocks under the reef at Coral Gardens, a dive site off Mindarie Marina, a few kilometers to the north of Perth. The pattern of spots on this fish are what make it easy to identify and it has a venomous barb on the top surface of its tail.

Sergeant Baker (Male)

The shot was taken on the Gemini dive wreck on 31 December 12, which is described two posts ago. This species is very common on the reefs around Perth in Western Australia and are often caught by fishermen, but they are not good eating.  This is a typical pose - they lie on the bottom looking very alert, as if on sentry duty! The elongated dorsal fin ray is indicative of an adult male.

Octopus

This cute little Octopus was hiding in a hollow on the upper surface of the wreck of the Gemini, which is described in my previous post. It seemed quite unperturbed by my presence and having a camera stuck in its face!!

Gemini Wreck - Off Mindarie Marina Western Australia

The Gemini was sunk by dive enthusiasts  in 1993 as a dive wreck and it is located on a flat sandy bottom about ten kilometers NW of Mindarie Marina, north of Perth in Western Australia. The wreck is an old barge about 40 metres by 10 metres and it lies 32 metres deep. It is also popular among local fishermen as it is often surrounded by a variety of fairly large fish including Dhufish and Samson Fish. The shots below were taken on 31st December 2012 and they give a fairly good impression on what can be seen. My previous posts of Lionfish were taken on that day and I will post a couple more shots of specific species.

Red Firefish or Lionfish

These shots were taken yesterday on the wreck of the Gemini, an old barge that was sunk as a dive wreck, around 9.5Km NW of Mindarie Marina in 1993. The wreck lies on a sandy bottom, 30 metres deep, and is around 40 metres long and 10 metres wide. It is covered in soft corals and has an abundance of fish life on and around it. These two Lionfish were quietly swimming around on the top of the wreck and they appeared to be feeding, as one of them suddenly darted down and snapped something up. The dorsal fin spines are extremely venomous so care mast be take when close to them.